Communicating and Collaborating: A Course Reflection of Humanities
What follows is a personal reflection on my time in the Humanities course and how I've changed as a result of my wonderful experiences. I never knew walking into this class that it would turn out to be my favorite, most inspiring class. My work in our Group Art & Culture Project has opened my eyes to what is truly going on in the world, and how I can be a force for good in it. I'm a better person for having taken it this remarkable class.
What is the role of the arts and humanities in shaping and re-shaping our understanding of human thought and relations?
The role of the arts in humanities plays a vital and integral part of the learning experience. Reading words or simply hearing stories by word of mouth is not enough to make the messages sink in, and for the viewer/observer/participant to have adequate, lasting change within. To view the history of the world and learn about its cultures, peoples, and other related topics through mediums like photography, art, sculpture, film, painting, poetry, mantra etc, allows us the get a great sense of what the situation not only looked like, but who it involved, how they were affected, and what circumstances were really like. With words or written journals we can only visualize or imagine to such an extent. But to have more vivid imagery and mediums with which we can better engage and more deeply interact, allows us to sense a greater, more significant change and better understand/comprehension of the truth. Without the arts in the humanities, I feel like the stories that humanities has to tell, would go silent...becoming inaccessible to the greater majority of society. To have art forms available through which we can interact with the humanities, gives us a closer, more in-depth look at the truth. We can only know so much through words, but to SEE what has happened, and SEE the people affected, opens up our perspective, broadens our understanding, and expands our view of the situation as a whole. The humanities helps understand that we are truly naive and ignorant to what is really going on in the world unless we take it upon ourselves to become thoroughly educated about those around us, and their customs. History has an ugly past, and for us to reshape and redirect the future to a better place, we have to have a great understanding of the humanities. This world belongs to no one nation, race or people: it belongs to the human family. The humanities serves as the platform by which we can accomplish a unified approach to bettering the world in which we live. We need to know and understand human thought and relations on a much deeper level if we're ever going to solve the large issues that we have in the world. Humanities is the way to increase our awareness about such need for education and understanding.
What are you still grappling with? Why?
I'm still grappling greatly with how people can be so heartless, and hopelessly inhumane to others around them. Whether their justification is religious or because of the color of their own/or the other's skin. There is no reason, no excuse to treat people poorly simply because of their religious, cultural, ethnic, or other such background. We need to be tolerant, kind, loving, understanding, and helpful. I don't understand how, for centuries, even millennia, we've had examples of what intolerance and racism does to societies and nations, yet we have done nothing to avoid repeating these catastrophic mistakes; instead we'd rather make them over and over again. I sincerely am baffled at how much politicians continually fuck up everything on a global scale. They should be the most educated, have the most recent facts, and therefore make the most informed decisions. Yet they constantly make the worst decisions, the selfish decisions, and those which would lead us down a darker, more despairing path. They seem to do this with no remorse, happy as long as their pockets are heavy, and their bellies fat. However, what they don't realize is their glutton for temporary pleasures as permanent effects on those around them.
What would you like to know more about why? Be specific. Discuss specific course materials and course projects that have helped you come up with your answers to these questions. How did these specific course materials and projects help you come up with your answers?
I'd love to learn more about the World Wars. I think there is so much more to know about them than simply what countries fought who, and how many people died. I think there is greater detail and understanding to be had. I'd like to know the economics behind the decisions, the thought and consideration that went into major decisions, if those decisions were made with regards to the future, and who advocated certain actions. I know that much more thought goes into war, even though it doesn't seem so at times, that just number of soldiers, land, and money. I think it also has to do with economics, social implications, reputations, health and wellness research/experiments, political posturing and moral gerrymandering. I plan on education myself about such intricacies on both wars, so that I can gain a better understanding of why they TRULY happened, and perhaps what we could have done differently to have a significantly better outcome (not that wars have GOOD outcomes, but perhaps less devastating). The course materials that really made me think about this topic, and lead to the development of this personal goal were: Hotel Rwanda, the Children of Soweto, Japanese Internment during WWII (Citizen 13660), a movie I watched regarding racism (the Believer), the response from the U.S. after the attack on Pearl Harbor (mantra piece on Nagasaki and Hiroshima), and songs such as Stand by Me. All of these constantly made me reflect on the question; why is the world the way it is? Selfish. Heartless. Ignorant. Biased. Racist. Uneducated. Apathetic. Coarse. Unrefined. etc. I want to know more about the World Wars, and why the horrific, terrible things that took place during those time periods actually happened. There is more to the story than meets the 'public' eye. We didn't bomb Japan simply out of revenge. They offered terms for surrender. We bombed them anyways. There were devastated and wiped out, limping even...and we bombed them again. We kicked them while they were down....and in doing so lost a lot of moral integrity. I want to know WHY we did what we did. Was it to provoke Russia? Scare them? Show the world how powerful we were? But at the expense of innocent Japanese Families? I don't understand it entirely, but I want to. All of the works that I've listed above inspired and instilled within me the desire to expound my knowledge and understanding of these events.
Explain how and where (course materials/projects) your critical thinking, creative thinking, and collaborative skills developed over the course of the semester, especially in connection with the Group Art & Culture Project. Point to specific experiences in the course that demonstrate this development.
The two biggest experiences/projects that changed my of thinking, and really enhanced my ability to critically analyze and creatively express myself or my group were the creative project that I did on Kamil Barzanji, and the Group Art & Culture Project. Kamil's story really opened my eyes and made me realize that I don't know as much about the world, and parts of it, as I thought I did. There stereotype that exists in the middle east about how bad and evil and violent they are is such a misconception. Kamil is such a nice person, and his story about being forced into service, surrendering at first chance, and working through a POW camp, subsequently coming to America and then building his life here the way he has is truly inspiring. It shows that there are good people in every part of the world who have a story to tell, a stereotype to shed, and people whom they can inspire. Kamil inspired me to think critically about situations and look for the good in everything. Give people the benefit of the doubt, hear them out. Don't judge and don't be ignorantly or naively biased. Have an informed opinion.
The Group Art & Culture Project was such a great experience. My group decided to address Racism once we knew we were assigned Identity, Privilege, and Inequality. We wanted to talk about racism because it hit such a sensitive chord within each of us. We don't tolerate injustice or racism at all. So we wanted to increase awareness about racism and show that it still exists, that it is not okay, and that we need to know where and how it exists so that we can be a force for good in stopping its spread. We chose to watch 4 films that boasted racist appeal. Some did and some weren't so great in their portrayal of how it truly was, but it was a great experience because it allowed us to see what racism is really like. We didn't just read or hear about it, we SAW and WITNESSED it. We hope to have inspired the desire to increase awareness about racism. We hope that others will now watch more films about racism, learn for themselves how terrible it is, and contemplate the message it carries, passing it on to anyone who will listen. This project really taught me how to think critically and creatively. We had to ensure that we were adequately vetting our idea and covering all our bases. We asked ourselves deep thorough questions in regards to each film, and made sure that were were open to differing opinions and POVs. We had to creatively think of a way to present our project, and our beautiful website will showcase just that; a creative way of advocating awareness that strikes down racism. What better way to talk about racism that is portrayed in film (a medium which reaches and attracts such a large population) than to make a movie ourselves. Not only that but our site is set up like a DVD menu, where you can access all parts of our project. This was creative, while at the same time showing that we constructed an in-depth project which portrays critical thinking and analyzing of how racism is shown, in a very vivid fashion.
We received the inspiration to address racism in film by clips and photos that we saw in class which evoked great amounts of emotions and made you better appreciate what was going on and who was suffering. We wanted to capture this same feeling in our project. We knew that by making our project about film, and showcasing it in a filmed manner, would meet this goal most effectively. We're happy with the way we paid attention during the course of the semester to things like photos, mantras, movie clips and other visual representations of war and oppression/segregation, which inspired us to take a visual approach to our issue as well.
What advice would you give future HUMA 1100 students?
Come in with a open mind and don't be afraid to let your beliefs change and be reconstructed. Don't be closed off to other opinions, perceptions, and POVs. The experiences and stories of others can really redefine and shape who you are, and who you become, for the better. After this class I can truly say that I am a better person, with greater desires to do not only what is right, but inspire others to do so as well. To increase awareness of global issues like racism, and healthcare (because of my profession) has become a lifetime goal for me. I want to help those around me. This class have given me great tools and knowledge, as well as a starting point, a new path, to tackle this goal head on. So be open, be accepting, be emotional, allow yourself to feel and be changed. This class will bring about great personal growth if you allow it to. It is has inspired me, and I can say with full confidence and no hesitation that to this point in my academic career, The Humanities has had the most profound affect on my character.
Reflect on how you thought about the three of the following branches of learning that are concerned with human thought and relations BEFORE you took this course: art, literature,music, photography, film, history, political science, philosophy, and/or spirituality. Think about them now that the course is over. Have any of your assumptions or understandings changed? Why? What assignments/activities/readings/songs/films/artworks were influential in this process? How will you approach interpreting texts and understanding people differently?
Without question, the 3 branches that have been most influential to me are: music, film, and history. At each turn in this semester I've been impressed by the images I've seen, the songs I've heard, and stories (true) that I've read about what has taken place. The song Stand by Me is one that I've shown to so many people, and one that I've gone back to and watched over and over again. I think it carries such a great message, especially the version we watched in class. I like this version because it contains singers/artists from different regions/cultures/backgrounds. It shows that we can be united in purpose, even when we're divided by land or water, or supposed color barriers. This song has become a favorite because it continually shows me that music has a way of reaching the human heart and changing the core of a person forever. This song has become a part of me. I will forever view music differently as I search for the messages it contains and morals it is designed to instill.
Film has been great part of my experience as well. During the course of the semester I watched 2 foreign films, multiple clips in class, 2 additional films, and yet again 2 films for my project which all addressed global social issues. I've always been drawn to movies. They don't provide simple entertainment. They captivate me and pull me into the story and make me experience, along with the characters, what is occurring, what is being felt, and who is being affected. I am really emotional about films that are touching and contain deep messages or meaning. I knew that from the moment I heard about a Group Art & Culture Project, I had to incorporate film somehow. I'm happy we did. Like music, film has a way of leaving a lasting impression upon the mind, helping you to remember the meaning, the people, and the history more vividly than simple text.
History is last, but never least. I've always considered myself a history buff. But after this class, I've come to find that I have a ways to go before I can claim that title. I want to know more about the world's history. This class has served as a great start and inspiration for me. I've loved learning about things that I didn't know existed before, like the International Declaration of Human Rights, conflicts in Africa, history about the U.S. I didn't know, details and events surrounding wars. It just goes to show that you can never know too much about any one thing. I love history, and now have a re-committed desire to improve my knowledge of the world's history, its people, its cultures and ethnicities, and most importantly, the lessons that can be learned from looking at the past: namely, what can we change and/or do differently to ensure that our future will be remarkably better and something worth looking forward to.
To sum it all up, this class has changed me and I'll never forget it. It has left an indelible impression upon my heart, mind, and soul. I will always strive to be more sympathetic towards the down-trodden and disadvantaged, the victimized and innocent, and all those who suffer at the hands of the ignorant and naive.
What is the role of the arts and humanities in shaping and re-shaping our understanding of human thought and relations?
The role of the arts in humanities plays a vital and integral part of the learning experience. Reading words or simply hearing stories by word of mouth is not enough to make the messages sink in, and for the viewer/observer/participant to have adequate, lasting change within. To view the history of the world and learn about its cultures, peoples, and other related topics through mediums like photography, art, sculpture, film, painting, poetry, mantra etc, allows us the get a great sense of what the situation not only looked like, but who it involved, how they were affected, and what circumstances were really like. With words or written journals we can only visualize or imagine to such an extent. But to have more vivid imagery and mediums with which we can better engage and more deeply interact, allows us to sense a greater, more significant change and better understand/comprehension of the truth. Without the arts in the humanities, I feel like the stories that humanities has to tell, would go silent...becoming inaccessible to the greater majority of society. To have art forms available through which we can interact with the humanities, gives us a closer, more in-depth look at the truth. We can only know so much through words, but to SEE what has happened, and SEE the people affected, opens up our perspective, broadens our understanding, and expands our view of the situation as a whole. The humanities helps understand that we are truly naive and ignorant to what is really going on in the world unless we take it upon ourselves to become thoroughly educated about those around us, and their customs. History has an ugly past, and for us to reshape and redirect the future to a better place, we have to have a great understanding of the humanities. This world belongs to no one nation, race or people: it belongs to the human family. The humanities serves as the platform by which we can accomplish a unified approach to bettering the world in which we live. We need to know and understand human thought and relations on a much deeper level if we're ever going to solve the large issues that we have in the world. Humanities is the way to increase our awareness about such need for education and understanding.
What are you still grappling with? Why?
I'm still grappling greatly with how people can be so heartless, and hopelessly inhumane to others around them. Whether their justification is religious or because of the color of their own/or the other's skin. There is no reason, no excuse to treat people poorly simply because of their religious, cultural, ethnic, or other such background. We need to be tolerant, kind, loving, understanding, and helpful. I don't understand how, for centuries, even millennia, we've had examples of what intolerance and racism does to societies and nations, yet we have done nothing to avoid repeating these catastrophic mistakes; instead we'd rather make them over and over again. I sincerely am baffled at how much politicians continually fuck up everything on a global scale. They should be the most educated, have the most recent facts, and therefore make the most informed decisions. Yet they constantly make the worst decisions, the selfish decisions, and those which would lead us down a darker, more despairing path. They seem to do this with no remorse, happy as long as their pockets are heavy, and their bellies fat. However, what they don't realize is their glutton for temporary pleasures as permanent effects on those around them.
What would you like to know more about why? Be specific. Discuss specific course materials and course projects that have helped you come up with your answers to these questions. How did these specific course materials and projects help you come up with your answers?
I'd love to learn more about the World Wars. I think there is so much more to know about them than simply what countries fought who, and how many people died. I think there is greater detail and understanding to be had. I'd like to know the economics behind the decisions, the thought and consideration that went into major decisions, if those decisions were made with regards to the future, and who advocated certain actions. I know that much more thought goes into war, even though it doesn't seem so at times, that just number of soldiers, land, and money. I think it also has to do with economics, social implications, reputations, health and wellness research/experiments, political posturing and moral gerrymandering. I plan on education myself about such intricacies on both wars, so that I can gain a better understanding of why they TRULY happened, and perhaps what we could have done differently to have a significantly better outcome (not that wars have GOOD outcomes, but perhaps less devastating). The course materials that really made me think about this topic, and lead to the development of this personal goal were: Hotel Rwanda, the Children of Soweto, Japanese Internment during WWII (Citizen 13660), a movie I watched regarding racism (the Believer), the response from the U.S. after the attack on Pearl Harbor (mantra piece on Nagasaki and Hiroshima), and songs such as Stand by Me. All of these constantly made me reflect on the question; why is the world the way it is? Selfish. Heartless. Ignorant. Biased. Racist. Uneducated. Apathetic. Coarse. Unrefined. etc. I want to know more about the World Wars, and why the horrific, terrible things that took place during those time periods actually happened. There is more to the story than meets the 'public' eye. We didn't bomb Japan simply out of revenge. They offered terms for surrender. We bombed them anyways. There were devastated and wiped out, limping even...and we bombed them again. We kicked them while they were down....and in doing so lost a lot of moral integrity. I want to know WHY we did what we did. Was it to provoke Russia? Scare them? Show the world how powerful we were? But at the expense of innocent Japanese Families? I don't understand it entirely, but I want to. All of the works that I've listed above inspired and instilled within me the desire to expound my knowledge and understanding of these events.
Explain how and where (course materials/projects) your critical thinking, creative thinking, and collaborative skills developed over the course of the semester, especially in connection with the Group Art & Culture Project. Point to specific experiences in the course that demonstrate this development.
The two biggest experiences/projects that changed my of thinking, and really enhanced my ability to critically analyze and creatively express myself or my group were the creative project that I did on Kamil Barzanji, and the Group Art & Culture Project. Kamil's story really opened my eyes and made me realize that I don't know as much about the world, and parts of it, as I thought I did. There stereotype that exists in the middle east about how bad and evil and violent they are is such a misconception. Kamil is such a nice person, and his story about being forced into service, surrendering at first chance, and working through a POW camp, subsequently coming to America and then building his life here the way he has is truly inspiring. It shows that there are good people in every part of the world who have a story to tell, a stereotype to shed, and people whom they can inspire. Kamil inspired me to think critically about situations and look for the good in everything. Give people the benefit of the doubt, hear them out. Don't judge and don't be ignorantly or naively biased. Have an informed opinion.
The Group Art & Culture Project was such a great experience. My group decided to address Racism once we knew we were assigned Identity, Privilege, and Inequality. We wanted to talk about racism because it hit such a sensitive chord within each of us. We don't tolerate injustice or racism at all. So we wanted to increase awareness about racism and show that it still exists, that it is not okay, and that we need to know where and how it exists so that we can be a force for good in stopping its spread. We chose to watch 4 films that boasted racist appeal. Some did and some weren't so great in their portrayal of how it truly was, but it was a great experience because it allowed us to see what racism is really like. We didn't just read or hear about it, we SAW and WITNESSED it. We hope to have inspired the desire to increase awareness about racism. We hope that others will now watch more films about racism, learn for themselves how terrible it is, and contemplate the message it carries, passing it on to anyone who will listen. This project really taught me how to think critically and creatively. We had to ensure that we were adequately vetting our idea and covering all our bases. We asked ourselves deep thorough questions in regards to each film, and made sure that were were open to differing opinions and POVs. We had to creatively think of a way to present our project, and our beautiful website will showcase just that; a creative way of advocating awareness that strikes down racism. What better way to talk about racism that is portrayed in film (a medium which reaches and attracts such a large population) than to make a movie ourselves. Not only that but our site is set up like a DVD menu, where you can access all parts of our project. This was creative, while at the same time showing that we constructed an in-depth project which portrays critical thinking and analyzing of how racism is shown, in a very vivid fashion.
We received the inspiration to address racism in film by clips and photos that we saw in class which evoked great amounts of emotions and made you better appreciate what was going on and who was suffering. We wanted to capture this same feeling in our project. We knew that by making our project about film, and showcasing it in a filmed manner, would meet this goal most effectively. We're happy with the way we paid attention during the course of the semester to things like photos, mantras, movie clips and other visual representations of war and oppression/segregation, which inspired us to take a visual approach to our issue as well.
What advice would you give future HUMA 1100 students?
Come in with a open mind and don't be afraid to let your beliefs change and be reconstructed. Don't be closed off to other opinions, perceptions, and POVs. The experiences and stories of others can really redefine and shape who you are, and who you become, for the better. After this class I can truly say that I am a better person, with greater desires to do not only what is right, but inspire others to do so as well. To increase awareness of global issues like racism, and healthcare (because of my profession) has become a lifetime goal for me. I want to help those around me. This class have given me great tools and knowledge, as well as a starting point, a new path, to tackle this goal head on. So be open, be accepting, be emotional, allow yourself to feel and be changed. This class will bring about great personal growth if you allow it to. It is has inspired me, and I can say with full confidence and no hesitation that to this point in my academic career, The Humanities has had the most profound affect on my character.
Reflect on how you thought about the three of the following branches of learning that are concerned with human thought and relations BEFORE you took this course: art, literature,music, photography, film, history, political science, philosophy, and/or spirituality. Think about them now that the course is over. Have any of your assumptions or understandings changed? Why? What assignments/activities/readings/songs/films/artworks were influential in this process? How will you approach interpreting texts and understanding people differently?
Without question, the 3 branches that have been most influential to me are: music, film, and history. At each turn in this semester I've been impressed by the images I've seen, the songs I've heard, and stories (true) that I've read about what has taken place. The song Stand by Me is one that I've shown to so many people, and one that I've gone back to and watched over and over again. I think it carries such a great message, especially the version we watched in class. I like this version because it contains singers/artists from different regions/cultures/backgrounds. It shows that we can be united in purpose, even when we're divided by land or water, or supposed color barriers. This song has become a favorite because it continually shows me that music has a way of reaching the human heart and changing the core of a person forever. This song has become a part of me. I will forever view music differently as I search for the messages it contains and morals it is designed to instill.
Film has been great part of my experience as well. During the course of the semester I watched 2 foreign films, multiple clips in class, 2 additional films, and yet again 2 films for my project which all addressed global social issues. I've always been drawn to movies. They don't provide simple entertainment. They captivate me and pull me into the story and make me experience, along with the characters, what is occurring, what is being felt, and who is being affected. I am really emotional about films that are touching and contain deep messages or meaning. I knew that from the moment I heard about a Group Art & Culture Project, I had to incorporate film somehow. I'm happy we did. Like music, film has a way of leaving a lasting impression upon the mind, helping you to remember the meaning, the people, and the history more vividly than simple text.
History is last, but never least. I've always considered myself a history buff. But after this class, I've come to find that I have a ways to go before I can claim that title. I want to know more about the world's history. This class has served as a great start and inspiration for me. I've loved learning about things that I didn't know existed before, like the International Declaration of Human Rights, conflicts in Africa, history about the U.S. I didn't know, details and events surrounding wars. It just goes to show that you can never know too much about any one thing. I love history, and now have a re-committed desire to improve my knowledge of the world's history, its people, its cultures and ethnicities, and most importantly, the lessons that can be learned from looking at the past: namely, what can we change and/or do differently to ensure that our future will be remarkably better and something worth looking forward to.
To sum it all up, this class has changed me and I'll never forget it. It has left an indelible impression upon my heart, mind, and soul. I will always strive to be more sympathetic towards the down-trodden and disadvantaged, the victimized and innocent, and all those who suffer at the hands of the ignorant and naive.